The Sé Catedral de Santa Catarina, known as Se Cathedral, is the cathedral of the

Latin Rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church '' sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language onc ...

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman and the seat of the Patriarch of the East Indies. It is part of the

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

, Churches and convents of Goa located in Old Goa,

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

History

India - Goa - 006 - The Se Cathedral (342066113)

The word ''Sé'' is Portuguese for '' See''. The Se Cathedral was built to commemorate the victory of the Portuguese under Afonso de Albuquerque over a Muslim army, leading to the capture of the city of Goa in 1510. Since the day of the victory happened to be on the feast of Saint Catherine, the cathedral was dedicated to her. It was commissioned by Governor George Cabral to be enlarged in 1552 on the remains of an earlier structure. Construction of the church began in 1562 in the reign of King Dom Sebastião. The cathedral was completed in 1619 and was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

in 1640. It had two towers, but one collapsed in 1776 and was never rebuilt. SeCathedralMillstone

In 1953, the cathedral was presented with "The Golden Rose" by Venerable Pope Pius XII. The Golden Rose is a gold ornament, which the Popes of the Catholic Church have traditionally blessed and conferred as a token of reverence or affection. It is placed on the tomb of St. Francis Xavier. The first Lithuanian Jesuit

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

in China, Andrius Rudamina, arrived in India in Goa on 22 August 1625. Almost 400 years later, 2015, a memorial stone bearing Andrius Rudamina's name was erected in the courtyard of Se Cathedral in Old Goa.Monteiro L.
State to unveil memorial to first Lithuanian in India
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Architecture

The architecture style of the Se Cathedral is Portuguese-Manueline. The exterior is Tuscan, whereas the interior is Corinthian. The church is in length and in breadth. The frontispiece stands high.

Inside the cathedral

The Se Cathedral's tower houses a large bell known as the "Golden Bell" on account of its rich tone. It is said to be the largest in Goa, and one of the best in the world. The main

altar An altar is a Table (furniture), table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of wo ...

is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria, and there are several old paintings on either side of it. On the right there is a

Chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common typ ...

of the Cross of Miracles, where a vision of Christ is said to have appeared in 1619. There are six main panels, on which scenes from the life of Saint Catherine are carved. There is a huge gilded

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ...

above the main altar. The Se Cathedral also houses a baptismal font made in 1532 which was used by Saint Francis Xavier in order to baptise several Goan converts.

Gallery

File:Old Goa, Interiors of Se Cathedral 2.jpg, Interior File:Se Cathedral4.JPG, Altar File:SeCathedralAltar.jpg, Altar detail File:Interior of Se Cathedral Old Goa 1.jpg, Interior view towards Reredos File:Sé de Santa Catarina.jpg, Side view File:Old Goa, Se Cathedral 2.jpg, Front view File:Goa-CathedralInterior.jpg, Interior view

References

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External links